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Natural Ways to Keep Crohn's Disease At Bay

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Crohn's Disease
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Posted 8/28/2016 9:11 PM (GMT 0)
Looking for any help you can give to help my fiance. He was misdiagnosed with Colitis in 2010 and in 2015 had some really bad flareups that sent him to the hospital which he later had another Colonoscopy by a new dr and discovered it's not colitis, it's crohn's. He has since been put on:

Balasalazide 750mg: 3 caps, 3 times a day
Pantoprazole- 1 cap a day

and he was on some steroid for a about 6-8 months. We don't feel that these have helped at all.. I don't know what they are supposed to do, but they haven't decreased the flare-ups, he still has diarrhea all the time and I just don't know how to help him. I ordered Bio-Cult probiotics in March of 2015 and he started taking those but they haven't seemed to help. We tried GAPS (Gut And Psychology Syndrome), but without being able to afford organic everything, I feel that I am just superloading his body with toxins and chemicals.

I am looking for answers from people who have went the natural way and found relief.

1. What has worked for you?

2. What hasn't worked?

3. What seems to cause flare-ups?

4. What do you do for stress?

5. How long have you been symptom free?

6. How long did it take to heal your body?

Thank you all for your support and help! I am looking forward to your responses!

Post Edited (Wellness Girl) : 8/28/2016 8:12:24 PM (GMT-6)

Posted 8/28/2016 11:53 PM (GMT 0)
Natural ways to cure Crohn's: 0
Medical ways to cure Crohn's: 0

There isn't a cure for this disease. Get that notion out of your head right now, so you don't end up tormenting your fiance with well-meaning, but utterly useless, treatments and diets for years. He isn't on strong enough medication - basalazide may work for UC, but it won't cut it for Crohn's. As for steroids, they are a short-term fix only and tend to stop working once you come off them (or even before you come off them).

Your fiance ought to ask his GI for stronger medication. Preferably a biologic (Remicade, Humira), but 6MP or azathioprine at the very least - the biologics are more effective, though.

As you will probably google these meds and freak out over the side-effects, you need to know that a) the serious side-effects are very rare and b) untreated Crohn's is a lot more dangerous than the meds in the long-term. It's a trade-off. It's not exactly anyone's dream to be on immunesuppressants, but we never wanted to get this rubbish disease either.

Finally, there is surgery. I had it because I pretty much had no choice. It worked in the sense of getting rid of the Crohn's (where nothing else had), but left me with an ileostomy. I opted for a reversal a couple of years later, which I would not have had if I had known how it was going to turn out - I would have kept the ileostomy.
Posted 8/29/2016 1:20 AM (GMT 0)
Hi Wellness Girl, welcome to the forum! NCOT is pretty correct on what she said, if not a tad blunt. :)

There is no cure for Cohn's. Period. A lot of natural treatments claim that they have a cure, but trust me, they absolutely don't. Some have their value, and some can help, but there will be no cure and honestly, even the odds of remission are pretty slim to none. Most people who claim to have been cured either 1) didn't really have Crohn's, or 2) just had it super mild and then it gets bad later. Almost everyone who has tried the natural route EXCLUSIVELY has lived to regret it.

Now, that having been said, his GI is a moron and he needs a new one asap. Any GI worth his salt knows that Balasalazide only works for UC and Pantoprazole is for acid reflux. Useless. He needs to be on a biologic, like NCOT said. And the side effects are super rare.

What steroid was he on? I am goin to guess budesonide/entocort as opposed to prednisone. Budesonide is not as effective for some people.

If he can get on a good biologic, all your questions are a bit moot. I will some people have some success with the SCD diet.
Posted 8/29/2016 2:11 AM (GMT 0)
Thanks everyone! Sorry, I should have been a little bit more clear in my topic. Not looking for a "cure" but rather a proven natural way to help him not have flare ups as frequently. I didn't know what other word to use. Keep the answers coming! I very much appreciate it!
Posted 8/29/2016 2:16 AM (GMT 0)
Yes! That was the steroid! It was Budenoside and he was on it for quite some time which was concerning since steroids aren't meant for long term but what do I know ;) He will be seeing a new Dr. in October as we moved to another state. I am not sure if they are any good or not, but I will be going with him to the Dr.
Posted 8/29/2016 2:39 AM (GMT 0)
haha, sorry, we are all a bit touchy about the word "cure!" There are so many snake oil salesmen out there that say that they can cure it, and sadly many people fall for it. So we're quick to specify that there is no cure. "Remission" is the word you're looking for, I think! :)

Okay, GOOD, I am very glad you're going to another doctor! Budesonide is the first choice for steroids; it stays in your stomach/intestines instead of going systemic like prednisone does. So it actually has very few side effects and is safer (as steroids go that is) to use longer term. However, if your disease is active and/or you have absorption issues, it is not going to be very effective or helpful. I know it's not what you want to do, but maybe have his current doctor prescribe prednisone until you can get into your new GI in October (I say you, but I mean your bf!)

As for natural, etc., I mentioned before the Simple Carbohydrate Diet. There is a book about it called "Breaking the Vicious Cycle," and it's supposed to be fairly effective for helping with Crohn's. It is a bit of an extreme diet, though. If you want simple for now, then the BRAT diet is very safe to be on. Bananas, white Rice, Applesauce, and white Bread.

Some people, when they have extreme, go on a soft/liquid diet. Broths, pureed food, some people even do baby food, Ensure, Pedialyte, etc.

For probiotics, Florastor and VSL #3 are going to be the top ones you'll want to try. Florastor is pricey. VSL #3 needs to stay refrigerated because it's a live culture.
Posted 8/29/2016 2:38 PM (GMT 0)
Hi Wellness Girl,

Diet with Crohn's is one of those things that is highly specific to the individual. SCD is the main diet that's targeted toward people with IBD but it certainly doesn't work for everyone; for example, when I was first diagnosed a decade ago, I had to go on a low-fiber, high carb diet. Since then, I've learned specific foods to avoid--I never eat red meat anymore, I avoid high-fat foods (e.g., cream sauces), corn and popcorn are no-nos, and I cut out coffee when flaring. A lot of people say you should cut milk completely out of your diet but I still drink it with no problems and I use it in my tea.

Hopefully your fiance has some sense of what works and doesn't, but he may want to consider trying diets aimed at reducing inflammation like SCD. As for supplements, a lot of people use turmeric to reduce inflammation and it's good he's already taking a probiotic. Of course, these need to be paired with a treatment regimen from your GI.
Posted 8/30/2016 1:27 PM (GMT 0)

DrewPalermo said...

scifigal2k said...

As for natural, etc., I mentioned before the Simple Carbohydrate Diet. There is a book about it called "Breaking the Vicious Cycle," and it's supposed to be fairly effective for helping with Crohn's. It is a bit of an extreme diet, though. If you want simple for now, then the BRAT diet is very safe to be on. Bananas, white Rice, Applesauce, and white Bread.

For probiotics, Florastor and VSL #3 are going to be the top ones you'll want to try. Florastor is pricey. VSL #3 needs to stay refrigerated because it's a live culture.

This is just bad advice. Bananas, applesauce, and white bread are all foods you should NOT be eating when healing (and when you're not sick). Ditch the fruit and substitute in cooked vegetables. You'd be doing your body a huge favor by starting to replenish minerals you've probably been low in.

Fruit is way too "yin" when most of us today are in a yin state (the balance of yin in yang). Dr L Wilson has a great article on this with the symptoms of fruit eating. I debunked Breaking the Vicious Cycle in my review here: healingcrohnsdisease.com/breaking-vicious-cycle-review-intestinal-health-diet-book/ You're better off reading Dr L Wilson's articles on his site and learning how to heal that way.

This is nonsense. There's no such thing as yin and yang foods, it's pure pseudoscience. People with Crohn's who are flaring need to eat whatever is easiest for them to tolerate, not whatever some quack tells them to eat.
Posted 8/31/2016 1:38 AM (GMT 0)
You might check out the book the Inside Tract by Dr Gerry Mullin. He's a GI and has supplement and diet recommendations in the book. He cites some of the studies behind the supplement recommendations. He also wrote a text book used in functional medicine classes.

I have found fish oil, curcumin, l-glutamine, and probiotics to be very beneficial. I got into remission 5 years ago using cimzia and I believe these supplements helped keep me in remission. Unfortunately I started flaring this year, so they didn't keep me in remission.

You might search over on the UC forum. They seem to have more discussions of diet and supplements over there than here on the Crohn's forum. Like medicine, what works for one doesn't always work for another. As a result there's a lot of trial and error that goes one to figure out what works for you (or your fiancé).

Good luck.
Posted 8/31/2016 1:23 PM (GMT 0)
I am 65 years old and in in 2005 I was diagnosed with CD in the colon after having explosive D for months, and two massive fistulas near the rectum. GI told me that these fistulas will never heal , so I have to learn to live with them, and my only hope for any relief is if I go on Humera.

After much research, I decided against my doctors advice to go on humera, and I started the SCD diet which I followed to the 100% to letter without any cheating. Also I started taking pentassa 1000mg 3xd.

By 3 months, my D was completely gone, and by 9 months on the diet, both fistulas were completely healed to the point where the surgeon had to remove the ctons so they could heal all the way.

To this day, I have not had a flare or a fistula or D, or one symptom of CD. I still follow the SCD diet, but not as rigid as before.

Last year I had colonoscopy and the GI said he saw absolutely no signs of CD any where in my colon or intestines, and the only indication that I had problems in the past was some scar tissue where I had the fistulas. Pathology lab report also indicated no CD found. Doc said I can stop taking pentassa after all these years.

I am I cured or just in remission?

By the way, I also have been completely cured of prostate cancer, testicle cancer, and skin cancer.
Posted 9/12/2016 10:44 PM (GMT 0)
I too am looking for an alternative.....i have heard Slippery Elm is a good one and a tea called Pau D'arco is affective as well.....i've bben drinking this tea for about a month but i'm unsure as to whether it's helping....I plan on seeing a Homopathic doctor this month so i'll keep you posted
Posted 9/14/2016 4:16 AM (GMT 0)
I've had crohn's for along time. If only natural supplements would work to get rid of the disease permanently, I've tried them all, or the ones I know about. Crohn's is a very stubborn disease. They may help a little at best, if at all, it depends on the individual.
Prednisone may help in higher doses, Imuran, Remicade, Humira are reported to help many, but again, they are control drugs, they aren't a cure.
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